TCNJ's newest grads savor the moment and look to future

EWING — The College of New Jersey’s latest batch of graduates greeted yesterday’s commencement ceremony with equal parts nostalgia and excitement for the future.

For some, it was hard to believe graduation day arrived after years spent forging new friendship, cramming in the library and grabbing lunch at the Eickhoff Hall cafeteria.

“It’s just weird to think we’re not going to be in those classes, with those professors again,” senior engineering major Aileen Leahy said.

Others were ready to move on to new jobs, graduate school or a long, lazy summer job searching.

The triumph of those who have already found jobs has made others feel like they’re in the minority. “I’m probably one of five college graduates who’s currently unemployed,” joked sociology and statistics major Lou Klein, who’d written “For Hire” on the top of his mortarboard cap. “But I’m not in a hurry to start looking for a job, I’m just happy to be graduating.”

Thousands of families and friends descended on TCNJ’s campus for the 11 a.m. main ceremony yesterday, armed with cameras and colorful bouquets.

“It’s not nerve-wracking, it’s actually kind of exciting,” said senior biology major Rupal Parikh, an aspiring doctor who heads off to Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Beaming parents snapped photos under archways of blue and gold balloons and packed the stands as the familiar strains of “Pomp and Circumstance” drifted across the Lions’ Stadium football field.

“This is a very happy day,” said Cynthia Harris, who traveled from Camden to watch her daughter, psychology and communications major Marquita Harris, accept her diploma. “She’s the first one to graduate from college in the family.”

Graduates — 1,726 total, with 1,411 undergraduate and 315 graduate students — clapped and cheered and tossed inflatable beach balls under a cloudless blue sky at the main ceremony.

Speeches by college president R. Barbara Gitenstein, professor Nelson Rodriguez and 2012 student class president Bryana Bonfanti urged students to use the knowledge, experiences and critical thinking skills gleaned from their time at TCNJ to go forth and succeed.